Avocado oil, seed oil, olive oil (extra virgin? Regular virgin?), canola oil — for many of us, the differences between these common cooking items are a little hazy. Does it really matterthatmuch what kind of cooking oil you’re using when whipping up a scrumptious meal? The answer (a resounding yes) may astound you. 

These cooking oils are differentiated by the ingredients with which they are made, as well as the processing methods. Canola oil is derived from the rapeseed plant, vegetable oil from a combination of seeds and/or neutral plants, olive oil from crushed olives. Some oils are made via cold-press methods, extracting the product without using heat, while others are made using a process called refinement, which heats the ingredients and then filters them to remove impurities. We’ll leave the scientists to decipher all the properties of these varying methods, instead boiling down the need-to-know reasons why all of this matters, and why your choice in cooking oil is very important.

Here are some reasons why:

• Your Health 

Your cooking oil choices are of the most urgent importance. In fact, which oil you choose to cook with can have a huge impact on your health. Several recent scientific studies, including one referenced in this article inScientific American,suggest that foods cooked in cheaply-made oil, like chemically-processed low-cost seed oils, can cause inflammation that leads to conditions as serious as colon cancer. More quality-made oils — like avocado and extra virgin olive oil, parts of a healthy Mediterranean diet — are on the contrary shown to be good for the digestive system.

• Smoke Point

When we use the term “smoke point” we refer to the temperature at which an oil stops shimmering with heat and begins to burn and smoke. For high-heat cooking, oils like avocado and peanut are recommended, as they have high smoke points and will not easily burn.

• Saturated Fats

Another health-related reason to choose avocado or extra virgin olive oil is these are two of the oils containing the least amounts of saturated fats, which can lead to a variety of health issues. As a superfood, avocados and avocado oil enrich the body with healthy monounsaturated fats that can help reduce cholesterol. 

• Neutral Flavor

Certain oils add certain flavors — sesame and peanut oils in particular change the palette of a dish significantly. Avocado oil, meanwhile, boasts a completely neutral flavor, making it ideal for cooking any type of dish calling for cooking oil.

• A 1:1 Butter Substitute

In fact, avocado oil is an incredibly versatile cooking ingredient because in addition to its neutral palette, you can use avocado oil as a one-to-one substitute for butter, making it incredibly helpful in both baking and cooking.

It should be noted that your choices in avocado oils are not created equal — a recentUC Davis study found 82% of commonly-purchasable avocado oils are rancid or mixed with low-quality other oils. That’s why purchasing avocado oil from west~bourne, where we’re committed to harvesting practices that are good for the earth and sustainability while yielding the highest-quality product, is a smart choice for yourself and for your planet. 

We have a variety of ways to purchase avocado oils in time for the holidays — there’sThe Regenerative Holiday Box,The Starter Pack, andThe Hosting Bundle, to name just a few. Happy holidays from all of us here at west~bourne, and happy cooking!